Morphometry research of deer, sheep, and human lumbar spine: feasibility of using deerand sheep in spinal animal models / Investigación morfometríca de la columna vertebral lumbar de ciervos, ovejas y humanos: factibilidad del uso de ciervos y ovejas como modelos animales de columna vertebral

Deer and sheep are used as spinal animal models in clinical and basic research. In this paper, the anatomical morphology, curvature, and morphology index parameters were investigated to assess the feasibility of using deer and sheep as animal models of the human spine. Fresh adult male sheep, deer, and human spine specimens (n = 10 each) were screened and subjected to morphological analyses. The statistical software package SPSS (version 17.0) was used to analyze the statistical similarity and variability among the 3 species. Deer displayed good similarity to human in terms of the vertebral transverse diameter, radius vector, spinal canal transverse diameter, radius vector, and vertebral upper and lower endplate curvature radii. Sheep displayed good similarity to human in terms of the vertebral body height, pedicle height, vertebral mid-lever curvature radius, and vertebral positive curvature radius. Human, deer, and sheep each displayed unique morphological characteristics and trends for the lumbar spine. These findings indicate that deer and sheep are good spinal animal models of human in morphometry, but with specific advantages in different research fields: deer are more suitable when studying vertebrae and endplate structures, while sheep are more suitable when referring to structures such as the vertebral walls.

Los ciervos y las ovejas se utilizan como modelos animales para la investigación clínica y básica de columna vertebral. En este trabajo, fueron investigados parámetros de morfología anatómica, curvatura e índice morfológico para evaluar la viabilidad de la utilización de ciervos y ovejas como modelos animales de la columna vertebral humana. Fueron examinados y sometidos a análisis morfológicos, especímenes frescos de columna vertebral (n = 10 cada uno) de ovejas y ciervos machos adultos, y columnas de individuos adultos humanos, de sexo masculino. Se utilizó el programa estadístico SPSS (versión 17.0) para analizar la similitud estadística y la variabilidad entre las 3 especies. Los ciervos muestran similitud con el humano en términos del diámetro vertebral transversal, vector radio, diámetro del canal espinal transversal, vector radio, y los radios de curvatura vertebral superior e inferior de la placa terminal. Las ovejas muestran similitud con el humano en cuanto a la altura del cuerpo vertebral, altura del pedículo, curvatura de radio vertebral medio, y el radio de curvatura vertebral positiva. Los humanos, ciervos y ovejas muestran características morfológicas y direcciones de la columna vertebral únicas. Estos hallazgos indican que los ciervos y las ovejas son buenos modelos animales en la morfometría de la columna vertebral humana, pero con ventajas específicas en diferentes campos de investigación: los ciervos son más adecuados en el estudio de las vértebras y las estructuras de placa terminal, mientras que las ovejas son más adecuados cuando se refiere a estructuras como las paredes vertebrales.

Regulation of acyl-coenzyme A: cholesterol acyltransferase 2 expression by saturated fatty acids / 中国医学科学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To verify the regulation of acyl-coenzyme A:cholesterol acyltransferase 2 (ACAT 2), which is associated with cholesterol metabolism, by saturated fatty acids (SFAs).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Palmitic acid (PA), the most abundant saturated fatty acid in plasma, and oleic acid (OA), a widely distributed unsaturated fatty acid, were used to treat hepatic cells HepG2, HuH7, and mouse primary hepatocytes. In addition, PA at different concentrations and PA treatment at different durations were applied in HepG2 cells. In in vivo experiment, three-month male C57/BL6 mice were fed with control diet and SFA diet containing hydrogenated coconut oil rich of SFAs. The mRNA level of ACAT2 in those hepatic cells and the mouse livers was detected with real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the three types of hepatic cells treated with PA, that SFA induced significant increase of ACAT2 expression (Pü0.01), whereas treatment with OA showed no significant effect. That effect of PA was noticed gradually rising along with the increase of PA concentration and the extension of PA treatment duration (both Pü0.05). SFA diet feeding in mice resulted in a short-term and transient increase of ACAT2 expression in vivo, with a peak level appearing in the mice fed with SFA diet for two days (Pü0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>SFA may regulate ACAT2 expression in human and mouse hepatic cells and in mouse livers.</p>